Railway-switch.



Patented Dec. l9, I899.

M. S. ,PITTMAN.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

(Application filed Jan. 30, 1899. Renewed Sept. 28, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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Warren MOSES S. PITTMAN, OF INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,284, dated December 9, 1899- Application filed January 30, 1899. Renewed September 28, 1899' Serial No- 731,980. (No model.)

To all whmn it nutg concern.-

Beit known that 1, Moses S. PITTMAN, ofIndependence, Jackson county, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway-switches; and it consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

At the present time on certain railway systems there are in use what are known as stationary switches at the connecting-points of a switch-track with the main track for the purpose of automatically compelling two trains traveling in opposite directions to pass each other without danger of collision and for the further purpose of permitting a slow train in advance of a fast one to travel along the main track in either direction until the switch-track has been passed, said slow train being then hacked and automatically shunted onto said switch-track to the end that the fast train above mentioned may pass on in advance of the slow train, which latter again proceeding forward is shunted back to the main track and follows said fast train, as will be readily understood, the positions of said trains being thus reversed without throwing the switch. One great objection to this switch construction is encountered when the side track is very long in that considerable time is lost because the slow train in advance is always compelled to travel a little more than the length of said track before it can be backed upon said side track. To obviate this difiiculty, a stub-switch has been constructedvia, a switch composed of four track-rail sections-which forms a continuation of the main and side tracks at points adjacent to said stationary switches. The provision of this stubswitch near each end of the side track permits a slow train in advance to be switched from the main track to the side track (but not automatically) without proceeding to the far end of the side track, thereby avoiding the loss of time necessary to travel the length of said side track, as will be readily understood. The provision of this stub-switch, however, weakens the line in that all four rails--viz. the rails of the main line and of the side track-- are broken and filled in with the movable stub-switch rails. This construction, therefore,while advantageous in saving time offers danger of train derailment. Another feature of this stationary-switch construction is the peculiar bending of the rails at certain points to insure the proper deflection of the wheels and the continuation or automatic deflection of the train upon the proper track.

The object of the present invention is to provide a switch construction wherein the trains may be continued or automatically deflected upon the proper track without the use of any comparatively abrupt bends in the rails, thereby avoiding the sudden swerve or jolt of each car in passing such point, this being accomplished by sim ply broadening the gage of the track in a manner which will hereinafter appear.

Afurther object is to avoid the loss of time incident to the passage of the slow train a distance exceeding the length of the side track and at the same time avoid the necessity of appreciably weakening the track construction by the use of the stub-switch,-this object being accomplished by employing a split switch, whereby the train can be switched in either direction and always travel upon one solid and unbroken rail.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe itwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents atop plan View of a railway-switch embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing the split switch open and ready to deflect a train travelingin the direction indicated by the arrow from the main to the side track as it approaches the latter. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line III III of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line IV IV of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 designates the cross-ties for the support of the various rails.

2 and 3 designate the off and near rails, respectively, of the main track, said rails running parallel to the points 4, where they begin to diverge, but the gage is widened so slightly that the near wheels of'a car (not.

shown) traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 1, continue upon rail 3.

until they have successively attained the position indicated by the numeral 5, when they transfer the weight of the train to the stationary split rail 6, extending approximately parallel to the diverging portion of rail 3 and havingits pointed end 7 extending rearward (with respect to the direction indicated by said arrow) to a pointintermediate of the numeral 5 and the point where said rail 3 begins to diverge from the rail 2. It will thus be seen that the near wheels of the train travel over the pointed or weakened portion of split rail 6 some distance before the weight of the corresponding side of the train is transferred from rail 3 to said split rail, this being accomplished by beveling downward thatportion of rail 6 extending rearward of the point indicated by the reference-numcral 5.-

8 designates a longer split rail which is secured at the inner side of and approximately parallel with the rail 2and has its attenuated or pointed end 9 projecting rearward beyond the attenuated end of rail 6 and to or slightly beyond the point where the rails 2 and 3 begin to diverge.

1O designates a guard-rail which parallels the rail 2 at its inner side and overlaps the point of rail 8, the overlapping portion of said guard-rail diverging with respect to rail 8 and adapted to deflect the wheels of a train traveling upon said split rail in the opposite direction to that indicated by the arrow upon the main rail 2, said guardrail being arranged with such relation to rail 2 that the wheels of a train traveling as indicated by the arrow shall positively and reliably pass between said main rail and the split rail before the wheels at the opposite side reach the point of split rail 6, and thereby compel the lastnained wheels to roll from the diverging portion of rail 3 upon the split rail, as hereinbefore stated, with their flanges at the inner side of said rail, as will be readily understood. This transfer of the train from the unbroken rail 3 to the split rail is thus seen to be absolutely reliable and entirely automatic.

12 designates a rail arranged between the diverging portions of the main rails 2 and 3 and parallel with the former, said rail forming a part of the main track. This rail 2 is connected to the split rail 6, forming also part of the main track, by means of the rails 13 and 14, which are beveled at their ends so as to form when together the miter-joint 14:. When so joined, said rails form a part of the main track. This part I prefer to designate the broken main-line rail, as distinguished from the unbroken rail Thus it will be seen that a train in passing over the main line in either direction is traveling always upon one absolutely solid and unbroken rail.

15 designates a rail arranged between rails 2 and 12 and parallel with the diverging portion of rail 3. Said rail and the split rail 8 form a part of the side track, and they are connected by the rails 16 17, having their meeting ends beveled and forming when together a miter-joint, as at 18. lVhen said rails occupy this relative position, they form a part of the side track, constituting, as contrasted with the solid or unbroken rail 3, a broken rail for the side track.

The rails 13 16 and 14 17 are movable like ordinary switch-rails and constitute what is technically known as a lap-switch.

l!) designates a pair of cross-bars which are of sufficient length to underlie the rails 2 and S and 13 16 1.4 17 without regard to whether the switch is open or shut, the resistance of the solid or unbroken rails 2 3 being thereby utilized in holding the pointed ends of the switch-rails down in operative position. One end of each bar 19 is bent back upon itself, so as to form the hook 20, which embraces the outer base-flange or foot of the rail 2 or 3, as the case may be and extending back through an opening in said rail is riveted or bolted, as at 21, to the rail 14 or 16, one bar being thus bolted to the former and one to the last-named rail. (See Fig. 3.) The bar 19, connected to the former rail, is also provided with a hookflange 22 near its opposite end, which engages the base-flange of rail 17 and holds the latter reliably down upon the bar and prevents it moving inward independent of the bar, while the companion bar 1.) is provided with a hookfiange 22, which is riveted or bolted to the rail 13. By this construction it will be seen that the movement of the rails forming the lap-switch is necessarily synchronous, and this movement is, by preference, effected by the following mechanism:

23 designates a lever fulcrumed upon a tie midway between the bars 19 and pivotally connected to said bars at the intersection-points, as at 24c.

25 designates a bar underlying the trackrails at one side of the track and pivoted at its opposite ends to lever 23 and the crankshaft 26, said shaft being provided with an arm 27, having a spring-dog 28, adapted for engagement with one notch or the other of aplate 29 for the purpose of securing the switch in its open or shut position. When it is desired to throw the switch, this dog is disengaged from the notch, and then the crankshaft is turned until the dog registers with and enters the other notch, and thereby locks the switch in its new position.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a railway-switch embodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and it is to be under stood that I reserve the right to make all changes which properly fall Within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- v 1. A railway-switch, comprising a pair of diverging rails, one rail forming an unbroken main-track rail and the other an unbroken IIO side-track rail, a split or pointed rail arranged I between said rails and adjacent to the sidetrack rail, a split or pointed rail arranged adjacent to and at the inner side of the maintrack rail, and having its attenuated end projecting beyond the first-named split rail and adjacent to the point where the main and side track rails begin to diverge, and a guard-rail at the inner side of the main-track rail beyond the point of the adjacent split rail, and having one end bent inwardly and overlapping the point of said rail in order to compel the off wheels of a train traveling past the guard-rail to continue on the main-track rail with their flanges between said rail and the long split rail, and the flanges of the near wheels to pass at the inner side of the other split rail, substantially as described.

2. In a railway-switch, a pair of diverging rails, one forming an unbroken portion of the main track and the other an unbroken portion of the side track, stationary split rails between said rails, one of them having its attenuated end adjacent to the point where said rails begin to diverge, a guard-rail at the innor side of the main rail and lapping the point of said last-named split rail at its inner side, a second main-track rail parallel with the first and longitudinally alined with the split rail nearest the side-track rail, a second side-traok rail parallel with the first and longitudinally alined with the other split rail, a lap-switch connecting said main and side track rails with said split rails, and consisting of two movable rails connecting the last-named main-track rail with the split rail adjacent to the sidetrack rail, and having their meeting ends beveled so as to form a miter-joint, a similar pair of movable rails connecting the last-named side-track rail with the other split rail and having their meeting ends beveled so as to form a miter-joint, cross-bars underlying said movable rails and the unbroken main and side track rails, the outer end of one cross-bar being connected to the movable rail at the same side which laps the outer side of its companion movable rail, and the outer end of the other bar being connected to the movable rail at the corresponding side which laps the outer side of its companion movable rail, said bars being also provided near their opposite ends with brackets which engage the inner sides of the movable rails inward of their companion rails, and means to synchronously slide said bars in opposite directions and thereby move said companion movable rails together or apart, and thus open or close the switch, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MOSES S. PITTMANr Witnesses:

H. A. CLARK, E. M. MEENGER. 

